![]() ![]() Women's gymnastics team officially qualified for the Paris Olympics last November after it won gold in the team final of the 2022 World Championships. If Biles is angling for a spot on the 2024 Paris Olympic Team. won the silver medal without her-but many other athletes praised her willingness to prioritize mental health over performance. The move saw her labeled as a "quitter" by some who slammed her for withdrawing from team competition-the U.S. She won four gold medals at the Rio DeJaneiro Olympics in 2016 and was set to perform similarly in Tokyo when she dropped out after experiencing "the twisties," a balance issue experienced by gymnasts while flipping. "Anyone that knows me knows I'm introverted, and anyone that has seen me at the tournaments will notice that I'm often wearing headphones as that helps dull my social anxiety.Biles, 26, is tied with Shannon Miller for the most Olympic medals won by an American gymnast and, with 25 World Championship medals, is the most decorated gymnast in the history of the Gymnastics World Championships. "The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that," she said in a statement at the time. The 23-year-old revealed she had suffered with anxiety and depression. In May, four-time major tennis champion Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open, citing mental health reasons. Sports stars are becoming more open about the pressures they face. "I would argue that she's actually even stronger mentally for being able to make that call now," Radcliffe said of Biles. particularly in something that's really physically, or mentally - or both - taxing, you really need to know when to push through it and when to listen to your body, and it's what has made her the great champion that she is," she added. "Very few people actually understand the relationship between your mind and your body. Our bodies just weren't able to do it," Radcliffe said. Paula Radcliffe, the former team GB runner who was labeled a "quitter" when she was forced to withdrawn from the 2004 Athens Olympic marathon a few miles before the finish line due to injury, spoke of her own experience in an interview with CNN Wednesday. I'm completely devastated and I support her so much." She added: "It's a tremendous amount of pressure. "Do other athletes have the support that they need?" "Does Simone have the support that she needs?" continued Raisman. "USA Gymnastics has been an absolute disaster for years and unfortunately not enough has changed for us to believe in a safer future, but I think this just really shows the lack of leadership USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic Committee," she told CNN's Jake Tapper Tuesday. She criticized USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic Committee for a lack of leadership in supporting athletes and said athletes were "people at the end of the day." Three-time Olympic gold medalist and former teammate Aly Raisman is among those to voice their support for Biles. Her honesty about the pressure of competition and mental health has been supported by fellow athletes, as well as sponsors including Visa, American Airlines and Uber Eats. "I know I brush it off and make it seem like pressure doesn't affect me but damn sometimes it's hard hahaha!" she wrote in the post. Writing on Instagram earlier in the week she said she felt "the weight of the world on shoulders at times." "Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many," USA Gymnastics said.īiles, who had been a favorite to win gold in the final, has won every individual all-around competition that she has entered since 2013 and won four gold medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics.īut on Tuesday, while attempting an advanced vault that involves a back handspring with two-and-a-half twists in the air before landing, Biles faltered and left the field of play close to tears. USA Gymnastics said in a statement earlier on Wednesday that it supported her decision "wholeheartedly" and applauded her "bravery." Complete coverage: Click for all the news from the Tokyo Olympics. ![]()
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